If you enjoy crispy, golden potatoes with a soft, fluffy inside, you’ll love this oven roasted potatoes recipe. It’s simple, made with fresh herbs, olive oil, and just a few basic spices. The potatoes roast beautifully in the oven with hardly any effort, giving you perfect results every time. Serve them as a side dish, snack,...
Craving something light, fresh, and quick to put together? This Green Salad recipe is just that. With crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and a zesty lemon vinaigrette, it comes together in minutes. It’s refreshing, healthy, and a simple dish you’ll come back to often. You can serve it as a side with any meal...
Sabudana Vada, one of our favorite fasting snacks is a crispy, soft, savory and mildly sweet patty featuring softened tapioca pearls (sago), mashed potatoes, crunchy peanuts, fragrant spices and fresh herbs. It is naturally gluten-free and vegan. This foolproof Maharashtrian style Sabudana Vada recipe gives you a super delicious, crispy vada with a soft and...
Poha is a light and popular Maharashtrian breakfast made with flattened rice, onions, herbs, spices, and sometimes peanuts or potatoes. It has many regional versions like Kanda Poha, Dadpe Pohe, and Indori Poha. This Kanda Poha recipe is made with onions, potatoes, peanuts, and basic spices. It is easy to cook, filling, and naturally vegan...
READ: Poha Recipe (Kanda Poha)
Paneer Butter Masala is one of the most loved paneer curries, both in restaurants and Indian homes. I’ve been making this recipe for years, refining it until it became a family favorite. This restaurant-style curry is creamy, lightly spiced, and always a hit. With my step-by-step photos and video, you’ll see how easy it is...
Besan Ladoo (also referred to as Besan ke Laddu) is a traditional as well as a popular North Indian sweet made by slow-roasting gram flour (besan) in ghee until golden and aromatic, then mixing it with powdered sugar, cardamom, and chopped nuts before shaping it into round, melt-in-the-mouth balls. Rich, nutty and fragrant, these laddus...
Makki Ki Roti is a rustic, traditional Punjabi flatbread made from cornmeal/maize flour (makki ka atta), kneaded into a soft dough and patted or rolled into rounds. Cooked on a hot tawa or tandoor, it develops a golden, slightly crispy exterior with a tender, earthy bite. Traditionally paired with Sarson ka Saag and a dollop...
My Mixed Lentils & Vegetables Khichdi is the ultimate cozy one-pot meal! A wholesome mix of lentils, rice, and veggies gently spiced with turmeric and red chili powder, then finished with a drizzle of ghee - it's warm, comforting, and full of flavor every single time. Weeknight bowls of khichdi were my childhood, soft and […]
The post Instant Pot Mixed Lentils & Vegetables Khichdi appeared first on Ministry of Curry.
The vegetables: the baked vegetable tray is one recipe that allows you so much flexibility in terms of what you can have. You can make it as colourful as you like or as monochrome as you prefer. Here is a list of vegetables I like to throw into the tray.
For roasting: Olive oil, salt and herbs are the ones that work. The herbs I have chosen is rosemary and oregano. You can use thyme or basil as well.
Lets make baked root vegetables
The baked vegetables is the best use of a roasting tray.
Prep the vegetables: choose starchy tough vegetables to start with. Wash thoroughly. Cut them into big chunks or dices as you prefer. Keep the beets separately. The carrots, potato sweet potato, radish, parsnip, swedes, turnip can all go together.
Coat them in flavours. Since the vegetables are going to be soft and bland, it is best to coat them with flavours. Sprinkle salt, pepper abd drizzle oil and toss them well. For flavours I prefer to add fresh study herbs that just dont burn away. Rosemary, oregano and thyme are my first choice. Go with what feels natural to you. You can replace the pepper with chilli flakes if you like the heat. Lets the vegetable mix sit while you preheat the oven
Ensure that the beets are coated and kept separate.
Bake: preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Place the vegetables on a roasting tray. Spread them out evenly. Poke in pieces of beets into the gaps so they cook along. Roast the vegetables for 35 to 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius on heat both from up and down. Half way through the time, flip the vegetables over to ensure even roasting. After about 35 minutes the vegetables will be ready and fork tender. Remove from heat and direct to the table. Or cool and proceed for storage.
The baked root vegetables are wonderful to add bulk to any meal or in the lunch box.
Baked root vegetable is an excellent vegan platter. It is filling, a mix of good healthy fibre and carbs and perfect for any vegan meal.
Once you have the baked veggies in meal prep you can have a hearty salad with it. For the dressing I prepare a generous mix of lemon and lime juice with some pepper and salt. Then you need some freshness. Chop up some tomatoes, a cucumber and handful of oregano, mint and parsley. Add all this into the mixing bowl with double the quantity of baked vegetables. Pour the dressing over it. Toss well and serve immediately. They are great sides to meals and double up as salads. You can add a bunch to your breakfasts to as hash.
There are a couple of ways you can achieve this. If you peel chop and place the beets separately, then place them on the tray to bake it will have zero leaching.
Another method is to ensure you add the beets right at the end, a quick toss in the oil and salt and straight into the oven.
Baked whole cauliflower
Dried peas nuggets
Hope you enjoy making this batch of low effort baked root vegetables. When you make your batch using this recipe, do share your thoughts and improvements in the comments below.
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The banana leaf sadhya made for Onam, Vishu or any of the Kerala festivals has an array of side dishes that are served on the top half of the leaf. Some of these we have posted earlier
Aviyal
Thoran
Pachadi
Kichadi
Erisherry
Mango pickle
However, the mildest, creamy yet simple olan is missed if it is not on the leaf. Have you made it?
Olan is a slow cooked stew made with gourds cooked in coconut milk. It is a mild creamy curry that predominantly uses ashgourd and pumpkins. Depending on regional variations you will find yard long green beans (payar) or cooked cowpeas added to it. It is flavoured gently with salt,curry leaves and slit green chillies. Unlike a lot of Kerala dishes it doesn’t have a mustard tempering, rather a good tablespoon of pure coconut oil stirred in as soon as it is removed from the heat for that roundeness and fragrance you experience.
If you are familiar with Kerala recipes, you will know that olan is one that is probably the least made in most houses. This is because the regular olan is a runny curry with less complex flavours. However the sadhya olan with the creaminess from the coconut milk and the cooked cowpeas is a thicker version which never runs. Though mild it has a well flavoured along with the semi mashed vegetables. The key to making the sadhya style olan is managing the liquid content.
Vegetables: since this is a mild stew with gourds and pumpkins, so they make the bulk of this recipe. the withte fleshed wintermelon ( elavan) is preferred over the giant ash gourds. The pumpkin adds a it of colour and sweetness. if you cant get the wintermelon, bottle gourd, watermelon peel or chayote work well too.
Bean: the creamy composition works because of the earthy flavours from the cooked cowpeas. Cowpeas have an earthy flavour and are perfect for this mild recipe.
Coconut milk: coconut milk is the cooking liquid here. At first the this cococnut milk is used to cook the gourds in. At the final stages, string the thick coconut milk or coconut cream. this ensures that the final result is thick olan and it is creamy.
Seasoning: Salt is the only seasoning here.
Spices: this is a mild stew and uses no spices. The single green chilli added is for fragrance, not heat. This is opional.
Oil: the final roundedness of the recipe comes from half tsp of coconut oil stirred in at the end. This is an optional step, but brings the flavour exactly like the one in the sadhya.
The gourd stew or olan is a great recipe to mealplan. It stays good for a few days under refrigeration. They do freeze good, but not great. The gourds do go a bit limp upon thawing the frozen one. So add it to your mealprep not much to your freezer list.
Sadhya olan is a great accompaniment to the banana leaf meal or a South Indian thali. It pairs well with idiyappam (string hoppers), steamed breads or chappathi. In a great rush week, Olan is perfect with some toasts or just as such warmed in a bowl resembling a chunky soup.
Hope you had a great Onasadhya. If you are looking for the best organizational tips to make sadhya, do check out our post
Guide to Sadhya.
When you make this olan recipe, do share your thoughts in the discussion below. We would love to hear from you. If you like to share or save this recipe, here is the pin link.
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Apple almond kheer is a delightful no sugar added Indian style dessert fit for any festival. Flavoured and thickened with almond flour it is a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for beginners.
I am not good when it comes to viral recipe trials. By the time I decide buy the ingredients and try it, the trend is over!
Clearly,it needs much more devotion and promptness. So that is an area we shall leave it to the enthusiastic experts. However there is one recipe I have been wanting to try and was waiting for the apple season to come. Enjoy my version of the apple kheer with no added sugar.
What is apple kheer?
Made with full fat milk that’s slow cooks rice grits, kheer is a must try dessert. This is traditionally served in festivals and grand Indian weddings. We have added a whole collection of kheer in our post- Payasam pathaman and kheer
Apple kheer a fusion dessert that embodies the idea of a kheer but has apples and almond flour to flavour and thicken. It is not a super sweet version , rather one to share at dinners or home gatherings.
I make this with no added sugar or sweetener, just the sweetness from the apples making it a bit more on the diabetic friendly Indian dessert side. Please be aware that the apples are sweet enough, so moderate the portion size.
Apple: crunchy sweet apples are the base flavour for this kheer. Personally, I like pink lady or red apples to make this kheer. I would avoid tart green apples as they can be too sour and may split the milk.
Butter or ghee:To kick off the caramelization and the colour on the apples, unsalted bautter or a small amount of ghee is helpful.You can use coconut oil if you are making it vegan.
Almond flour: the almond flour gives a rabdi like feeling to the kheer. I use the blanched almond flour. If you don’t have these you can grind a few almonds or soak them and grind with the milk. Instead of almonds you can used any nuts of your preference like cashews, pistachios. Melon seeds or puffed makhana(lily seeds) powder also taste good and thicken the kheer easily.
Milk: full cream milk is best suited for this recipe. It has the right consistency and doesn’t easily split the milk when adding the sauteed apples. I would avoid almond milk to make this kheer among the plant based ones as it easily splits. You could use coconut or soy as well.
Sweetener: I have actually not added any in this recipe as the apples were super sweet and we like a mild sweetness for our kheer. You can add sugar as the milk boils. If adding jaggery syrup or maple syrup add it after you remove from heat. Alternatively date paste will be lovely in this kheer.
Spices: the common sweet spices used in Indian desserts are saffron and cardamom. I have used a few strands of saffron and powdered cardamom to finish the recipe.
It does take a few steps to make this kheer, however, it is not a hard recipe to follow some absolutely recommend beginners to try it.
To prep the Apple: the Apple can be chopped like I have done or grated to have a smoother kheer. It is optional to peel the apple as this will be all about mouth feel. I leave the peels in as it gives a good bite. Once prepped add the apples to a pan with a touch of unsalted butter. On a low heat let this mix cook down and caramelize. Ensure that this is a low heat process. You can cover the apples for a minute if you feel they are dry. This captures the water from the juices allowing the apples to steam.
Boil the milk: in a separate sauce pan, boil the milk. As it bubbles and boils, stir in the almond flour.
Thicken the milk the almond flour is the thickening agent. When the milk has started boiling and rising a bit, lower the heat to a simmer. Sprinkle the almond flour on the boiling milk. Stir well ensuring it is lump free. Let this cook down for about 5 to 6 minutes with stirring in between.
Add the apples: add the cooked apples into the mix and mix well. You can take off the heat at this point.
Flavouring the kheer: sprinkle cardamom powder and a few kesar strands and mix well. At this stage my kheer is done. If you prefer to add sugar or jaggery syrup do so at this stage and mix well.
If you are using plant based milks the recipe can easily be turned vegan. Coconut milk or soy tastes good. For sauteeing and caramelizing the butter, coconut oil is best.
Can we make this with other fruits?
Of course you can change the fruits to make a variety of kheer. Mango ,jackfruit or plantain banana will be my first choice.
You can try dates and dried figs too. When using sweet dry fruits adjust the sugar accordingly.
Other quick try kheers
Sabudhana kheer
Sweet potato kheer
Mothichoor ladoo kheer
Rajgira kheer
Manipuri black rice kheer
When you try out this almond apple kheer, let us know in comments how much you liked it. Share it with family and friends.
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The moment you place a plate of stuffed vegetables feel so much more special that just stir frying.
This is the magic of bharwan. It is not vegetable specific and can be seen in most dominant cuisine styles.
In Indian recipes as well you will come across a large number of vegetables served as roasted or curries with stuffed produce. Okra, capsicum, bottlegourd, eggplants, chillies, bittermelon, lemons, mushrooms, you name it, there will be a lipsmacking stuffed version of it.
Thats when we got these baby brinjals!! That too farmfresh baby brinjal (eggplant) spotted in the market deserves a wholesome approach. Here is my version of the tastiest stuffed baby eggplant.
Brinjal, eggplants and aubergine are all the same.
The fruits of Solanum melongena is a sturdy shrub that grows easily. The fruits come in various shapes and colours. Some are deep purple and large and used for roasting. Some green or varigated, some elongated like a zucchini and some round like a little ball. The flavor profile is nearly the same. All can be roasted, boiled or grilled and rarely eaten raw.
Here are some recipes we have previously tried with eggplants.
Kashmir doudh wagun
Kerala vazhuthananga mezhukkuperatti
Srilankan wambat moju
Chettinad kathrikka podi varuval
Unlike the popular dry masala stuffed baingan recipe, this is one that uses fresh ground pastes and roasted peanuts. This makes the eggplants succulent ans keeps the moisture as it roasts.
Brinjal: since eggplants come in various sizes for this recipe what you need is small baby oval or rounded eggplants. The colour or variety is up to you it can be purple, variegated or the white variety. While coosing the eggplants for this recipe, ensure that they are all even sized so you can get them cooked evenly.
Peanut: roasted peanuts form the bulk of the filling.this not only gives the nutty creaminess but also makes this recipe much more nutritious. You can use peeled peanuts of keep in the skin on. Peanut butter is not suitable becoz of the oil content.
Onion: the red onion provides the base masala flavour.Usually I prefer this and a smooth paste so it is easier to stuff the eggplant. You can choose shallots or white onions to make the same. Shallots will be a bit sweeter.
Fresh masala base: the true flavour of the recipe comes from the fresh pastes that are made. This is a combination of fresh ginger root, garlic and green chillies. When made a paste together, they create fresh and robust flavour paste. This combined with the peanuts make the stuffing so tasty.
Lemon juice: the final splash of Lemon juice once the recipe is done provides a summery freshness to the recipe. You can have lime, lemon or tart orange juice to make this shine.
The recipe is a bit of work between prepping the brinjals and making the masala paste. However, once that part is completed, it is fairly a easy process. Check the notes below so you can actually make it in larger quantities for meal prep.
Stuffed brinjal stays good in the refrigertor for up to a week, so we highly recommend this recipe to add to your meal prep. Though it takes a bit of time, if you have a large quantity of eggplants, do not hesitate to make a big batch and freeze for later. Complete the roasting process and cool before freezing. In this way, eggplants wont leach and the result when you thaw it back up is as good as the fresh ones. Freeze as a single layer first and then store them in a container. This ensures they do not stick to each other.
Collaboration
As bloggers we always draw inspiration and ideas from each other and support in the growth and enthusiasm. This time in the Shh cooking secretly group we are exploring stuffed vegetables recipes which have such a huge variety to offer.Check just one more, stuffed capsicum from The mad scientist kitchen.
Stuffed brinjal recipes are a favorite for us in our house. When you try this version of peanut filled, stuffed eggplants do let us know how you liked this recipe in the comments below. The recipe my sound similar to Bharali vangi, however is far different in flavour.
We would love to hear from you in the comments below.
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The winter blustery nights should be renamed as stay at home curry nights.
I am talking about the curries that feel like home, not the greasy,masala heavy ones. The aloo curry, lauki ki sabji or the tofu curry, these are the ones that i seeing this group. There is one more that I love to make on the coldest nights,Andhra style dappalam. There is no particular explanation why dappalm on winter nights other than comfort. If you havent tried this Indian curry, today is your day.
Dappalam or mukkala pulusu is a tangy, stew made with pumpkin, sweet potato, moringa pods, eggplants, yams and ashgourds to be served with rice. This light and low calorie curry is from the andhra cuisine. It is a lentil free, gluten free and nut free stew.
Dappalam is very different from sambhar both in flavour and ingredients. Though the vegetables used and the tamarind feels the same,dappalam does not use any cooked dals to thicken it. It is thickened using rice flour. Dappalam also doesn’t use any spice mix unlike sambhar which needs sambhar podi or the ground paste.
Vegetables: most vegetables that feature in Southindian curries can be used in this curry as well. Pumpkin, wintermelon, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, small eggplants, tomato, moringa pods all work well in this recipe. You can add spinach, moringa leaves, methi leaves can also be great additionally. The spiciness is added in two fold using green chillies and later on as chilli powder. Serrano peppers provide a good flavour here.
Tamarind: the tanginess is what keeps the curry interesting. Dry tamarind soaked and pulp extracted is the commonly added one. You can use storebought tamarind paste. If adding the paste ensure you stir in a little at a time as it is stronger in intensity than fresh pulp.
Spices: not much of whole spices or.spice mixes are made for this recipe. What goes in is salt turmeric powder amd red chilli powder. Choose your red chilli powder based on the heat you prefer. It can be mild Kashmmiri chilli or sick thikat lal. You can also.vhoose between paprika or cayenne.
Jaggery: the balance of the heat from the chillies is well balanced by a bit of jaggery that is added.
Infact the jaggery also enhances the sourness from the tamarind.
Rice flour: rice flour thickens the gravy to a pouring consistency. This can be white or red rice flour..ensure it is a fine ground powder. Glutinous rice flour is not useful to make this as it will make the gravy a bit jelly like (not pleasant to have).
The mukkala pulusu is a easy curry eve for beginners to master as you can keep adjusting the spices as the curry boils.
Dappalam with steaming hot cooked rice (white or red), lettuce veppudu and some sago vadam is our Sunday meal. Don’t forget the dollop of ghee on the hot rice to get the authentic flavour. You can pair this with soft rotis, fluffy set dosa, string hoppers or idlies too.
Yes Dappalam is a wonderful vegan stew recipe. It is loaded with vegetables and is free from dairy nuts and gluten.
Dappalam is often made during the Sankranthi festival as a part of the elaborate meal. You can swap the sambhar out of a banana leaf meal to add this or in the south Indian thali.
Thengarachukuzhambu
Kulith saar
Manga pachadi
Aviyal kuzhambu
Hope your curry nights will be easier with dappalam. Let us know in the comments how you served this curry.
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Tomato Rice, also known as Thakkali Sadam, is a flavorful South Indian rice dish made with rice sautéed in a spiced tomato masala, tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, herbs and aromatic spices. Tangy, mildly spicy and comforting, this one-pot meal is a popular choice for lunchboxes and quick meals, best enjoyed with raita or...
Indian cuisine has a rich tradition of using ancient grains that are healthy, filling, and have been part of our diets for generations. Among these, millets have gained renewed attention both in India and around the world for their many health benefits. One such millet is ragi, also known as finger millet or red millet....
Homemade Red Chilli Powder is a simple yet flavorful spice made by grinding dried red chillies into a fine powder. Start by selecting dried red chillies, ideally with a balanced heat level and remove the stems and seeds. Toast the chillies lightly in a pan for a few seconds to bring out their natural oils...
Iced Tea is simply brewed tea that’s cooled and served over ice, often with lemon, sugar, or fresh fruit juice for extra flavor. It’s one of the easiest and most refreshing drinks to make at home, especially on hot summer days. This Lemon Iced Tea is light, tangy, and comes together with just a few simple...
Thankfully that Indian borage plant, that was generously shared by my husband’s cousin is happily growing. We have made so much chutney and rasam with these leaves.I have some more leaves to make new recipes. Since it is winter, the leaf growth will be slow. So I am salvaging some of the excess leaves to make a thokku and keep for a few days so the plant can be left alone to be its best. So here is omavalli thokku.
What is a thokku?
Thokku is a borderline between pickle and chutney. It is spicy, roasted in oil and has a lot ground vegetables with spices and seasoning. It is a long standing version when compared to a chutney. The common varieties are tomato thokku, gongura leaves thokku or mango thokku. It is different from a thogayal as there are hardly any lentils used in this recipe. Thokku is used in the place of a pickle in the South Indian meal. They taste great with thair saadam or as a dip for idlies and dosas.
Omavalli leaves: fresh fleshy leaves of Indian borage plant is a key ingredient in this recipe. They have a slight peppery flavour laced with an oregano smell. The leaves wont give much volume to the thokku but is key to the taste and flavour. We don’t have much swaps here without altering the flavour. However, you can make mint or coriander thokku the same way.
Shallots and garlic : since it is a thokku recipe is like to store and use both for rice based meals and for idly dosa breakfasts, I add shallots and garlic for flavour. These also provide a good fragrance along with the omavalli leaves.
Tomato:here is volume and sourness that is needed for the thokku. Fresh tomatoes are the best. However, they are not the best at the moment in season so plain canned one will make the cut. You can choose just plain ones or the ones that are peeled and chopped. It is important to make sure they don’t have any salt or seasoning added to them.
Tamarind: to pack in a thokku punch you need a small lime sized ball of dried tamarind. You can swap this with about a teaspoon of prepared tamarind pulp.
Spices and seasonings: salty and spicy with a hint of sour is the aim of the best thokku. So let’s start with salt. You can use seasalt, table salt or the rocksalt crystals. My parents believe in rock salt. I have used generic salt from the supermarket.
For the colour and heat dry red chillies are used. I have chosen the bydgai variety to lower the heat index and just add flavour and colour. You can choose the variety you have at home for Indian cooking. Red chilli powder is fine to be used too. Paprika will not be useful, cayanne is ok.
Fenugreek seeds add a distinct aroma to the thokku. It is a usual ingredient in south Indian pickles.
Oil:sesame oil into a generous amount is needed to make this. The oil not only allows to cook and roast the thokku, but also acts as a preservative forming a layer on top. This cuts off aerobes and prevents the thokku from going moldy. Oil is added first at tempering and a second portion almost at finishing stages.
For tempering: mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies are needed for tempering the oil. I prefer to grind the curry leaves along with the omavalli leaves as i don’t get a lot here.
Though the ingredient list was a bit long, the making steps are simple. Slow cooking is the best hence the time taken is a bit for the best results.
Prep the ingredients: wash, drain and check the Indian borage leaves. Peel as set aside shallots and garlic to go with the blend. I have used canned tomatoes, however you can use fresh ones to make the blend.
Grind the mix:into the blender add the shallots,garlic, curry leaves, omavalli leaves, tamarind, chillies and fenugreek seeds. Add the tomatoes and blend to a smooth paste.
Tempering: add the half the quantity of sesame oil into the deep pot and set on medium heat. Add mustard seeds,dry red chillies and fenugreek seeds to it and let the mustard splutter.
Slow cooking: once the mustard seeds crackle, add the blend paste. Mix well so the the oil mixes in well. Add salt, asafoetida, pepper powder and slow cool this on a low heat. Mix intermittently and as it thickens add the rest of the oil. Cook it the oil starts showing up on the surface. Keep mixing and cooking till it is like a paste. At this stage the thokku is ready.
Storing: Remove from heat and cool it down. Transfer to dry bottles and once completely cooled, press down a bit so the oil layer is on the top covering the paste. Seal and store in a dark corner of the pantry.
The reason I store thokku is because you can spice up a lot of lunch box ideas within minutes. So here are my best combos.
The thokku stays well for upto three months. Ensure you transfer them warm into clean, dry glass bottles.
If you have made a huge batch remove a small portion into a smaller bottle to use often.this helps to reduce contamination of the bigger stock.
Use a dry spoon to remove a serving of pickle and don’t leave the pickle open for long.
Here are a few ideas that you can make and keep for a long while. Click on each of these highlights to take you to the respective recipe.
If you have not grown an Indian borage plant,I highly recommend one. They don’t rely on your green thumb,hardy and live well. In addition to making them as food the leaves can be seeped as tea.
When you have a lot of leaves, try this recipe and let us know what you think.
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